Twitter is encouraging employees worldwide to work from home, if at all possible, in an effort to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
As the coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread around the world, governments and companies alike are trying to contain it. Japan recently began recommending that companies encourage their employees to telecommute where possible. Amazon has begun relying on video interviews for some positions, rather than in-person interviews. Now Twitter has followed suit, encouraging its employees to work from home if they are able.
“In addition to the travel, event and visitor restrictions that we previously shared, today we provided additional guidance as we look to protect the health and safety of our workforce. Beginning today, we are strongly encouraging all employees globally to work from home if they’re able,” reads a company blog post. “Our goal is to lower the probability of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus for us – and the world around us. We are operating out of an abundance of caution and the utmost dedication to keeping our Tweeps healthy.
“We are working to make sure internal meetings, all hands, and other important tasks are optimized for remote participation. We recognize that working from home is not ideal for some job functions. For those employees who prefer or need to come into the offices, they will remain open for business. Our Real Estate & Workplace team is increasing deep cleaning and sanitizing in all spaces, as well as more visual reminders for personal hygiene best practices and pre-packaged, pre-composed, and pre-plated food options.
“Working from home will be mandatory for employees based in our Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea offices due in part to government restrictions. Our criteria will evolve over time as we get more information, and we will communicate to affected Tweeps as appropriate.”
Twitter’s stand illustrates the effect the virus is having on companies around the world, as governments and medical personnel struggle to deal with the outbreak.